国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Anxiety lingers among U.S. federal employees as govt temporarily reopens_时事

国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Anxiety lingers among U.S. federal employees as govt temporarily reopens

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 -- The end of the 35-day partial government shutdown certainly was a soothing message for the 800,000 federal employees, but anxiety and stress persist as they still struggle to make ends meet, fearing another shutdown might come soon.

The record-long shutdown temporarily ended on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump signed a bill to fund the government until Feb. 15, leaving more time for debate on his long-demanded U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Trump promised he will make sure that all federal employees receive their back pay "very quickly, or as soon as possible," but it could take a couple of days before everything goes back to normal.

A federal employee from the Homeland Security Department, who declined to be named, told Xinhua that he expects to get his paycheck in the next two or three weeks. "Usually there's a lag between you work and you receive your payment," he said.

He was among the dozens of federal employees and contractors who showed up at a free grocery distribution at Alexandria, Virginia over the weekend. He and his wife were able to get fresh produce including grapes, carrots, apples and onions, canned goods and frozen meals from the Capital Area Food Bank, which has operated six such pop-up markets in response to the government shutdown.

The employee said he came to the market for help because he was running out of money. "Usually I try to save one or two months of salary for emergencies, but with high rent and other expenses in the capital area, I lose it very quickly."